Prayer in Music

Today is our Christmas music program at Taipei Adventist American School. Music is a gift from God to be utilized to glorify him and to praise him. To be called to be a musician in God's church is a high calling, even though it is not often seemed to be as such. However, the struggle to praise God with music is often always real.

I am not a musician myself, though I sometimes like to pretend I can sing. I admire those who are musicians and can play instruments, I think it is a beautiful talent.  It is a blessing that the kids here at TAAS can learn to play their music instruments well, and hopefully one day they will play only for the Lord. That is the ultimate purpose of the music program I believe.

But back to the struggle. Today going down the mountain, was a very huge accident. The mountain only has one lane going going down and one going up. So with a huge accident, traffic is completely backed up. Apparently a total of 3 accidents; 7 cars and 2 scooters, the cars being in the worse condition. I wonder why all of this has happened, today at this particular time? It will be a few hours before the buses actually reach Soochow University. The students were supposed to practice for tonight's program.

I like to look at things and this situation from the spiritual aspect. I wonder if many understand the spiritual situation that has happened. Of course, there is more to why this happened other than the music program. Think about how many lives are being affected right now jst from this accident; who has an important meeting to go to? Who is rushing against a life and death situation? Who is questioning their belief in God right now? So many where backed up on the mountain.

The Great Controversy is real. The battle between Heaven and Hell is real, and it all starts in the Garden of Eden. Many of us already know this story. But there is one very important scripture that speaks about The Great Controversy in a nutshell and it is often missed. Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

In that one promise begins the controversy. Ever since then the devil has been devising plans to destroy Jesus, because he knows Jesus is the promised son that will one day crush his head. He also goes out of his way to hurt the children of Jesus, because in doing so he is also hurting our creator. When someone hurts your child how do you feel?

What does this have to do with the music program? The devil wants to win people over to his side. He doesn't want us to believe in Jesus. Music can touch people in a special way. Gospel music is powerful. Gospel music is like prayer. Why would the devil want a bunch of kids to sing music to God? Why would he want them to praise him? Why would he want them to "pray"?

The buses with the kids came maybe an hour late. We had until the afternoon to practice, and then we had to leave. In the end, God works everything out. The kids practiced and then they did very well at the concert. God is good all the time。

Conscientious Objector

In the military, a conscientious objector is someone who has decided to not carry a gun into battle due to their religious beliefs and convictions.  To many, this person who has decided to do this, has decided to loose their lives on the forefront of war.  Many would never understand why someone has chosen to make this conviction, because to many, their own lives is what matters the most.  My dad was in the Army and I was talking to him this morning about the movie Hacksaw Ridge.  In the U.S. Army, the things that Dawes  experienced as conscientious objector are all legitimate experiences of someone who is.

I remember one day in Jamaica being frustrated with my landlady.  The refrigerator that was provided and included in my rent frequently cut off, and I spoke to my landlady about this multiple times.  One morning I opened my fridge to look for breakfast, and found that it was not working.  I was upset because as mentioned, I said something a few times already.  Plus, this particular morning was a Sabbath.  So I left for church and came back home after sunset to find a few things in the fridge spoiled; Jamaica is a hot country, especially during the summer.  So the next morning, I went to my landlady, told her what happened and defenses went up.  Of course she wanted to know why I did not come and tell her yesterday about it, because obviously God would not have a problem with me doing so.  If you know how the devil works, you know where this story was going.

I am not sharing my story to criticize or to make myself to be a proud and haughty Adventist; I have my own faults and sins that I must overcome as well. I am sharing my story because at the time, I don’t think I realized how much of a role the devil plays in trying to make you fall.  The story of Dawson Dawes is an example of this.  When he refused to work on the Sabbath and pick up a gun, the devil attacked him (I saw the movie today, very powerful).  He did everything that he could to try and make Dawes fall and give up on what it was God wanted to use him for.  In the end, God was going to use him for something big, and he did.  Dawes stuck to his conviction, and it changed the hearts of others.  This is all a part of the Great Controversy between good and evil. 

The devil attacked Dawes the way he did because knew that he would lose people he already had on his side.  See, the devil does not bother those who he already has.  His goal is to hurt God.  Think about it.  For a parent, what is the worst thing that could ever happen to them?  Many know that this is to lose their children.  It is the same way with God, our heavenly parent.  Every day, he loses someone to the devil. 

The story of Dawson Dawes is a story of conviction.  He was convicted by his faith to keep ALL of the commandments of God.  When we disobey the commandments of God, it makes the devil happy and God sad.  God’s holy Law is good and unchangeable.  God desires us to keep his law so much that Romans 6:23 states that, “The wage of sin is death.”  When Adam and Eve sinned and broke the laws of God, they did not break just one, but all of them.  So now, they were sentenced to leave the Garden of Eden and would now know death.

However, in the next part of the scripture, God redeems us with the blood of his son Jesus Christ- “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” When Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, it was not without a promise to be redeemed.

All of these things have made me reflective of my own life now and it makes me ask myself, what am I conscientiously objective about?  I have recently been thinking about these things even before seeing the movie and the movie really hit it on the head for me.  Where in my life do I see God using me for his glory?  Have I become complacent in my walk with God? Have I become too comfortable?  How am I allowing God to use me?  What have I been convicted about recently? I think on these things because as a Christian, I believe in the soon coming of Jesus Christ.  I believe in Heaven, and have a strong desire to be there one day, and I want God to always be in my heart.   

This world is evil, and when you understand the workings of the devil and how life is now, and you start seeing it all around you, being in this world is not a happy place.  In order to find that perfect peace and comfort we all seek, Jesus must come.  He has not come yet because he is giving all of us a chance to make that decision to serve him.  He is giving all of us a chance to put on our white robes and follow him.  He is making sure all of us have heard who he is.  

Those that do not want to serve him now on Earth will not be happy in heaven.  Lord God, I pray that you can use me to serve you with all of my heart.  I pray that I please you and make you happy.  I pray that you will come soon and bring my family and I with you.  Help change all of us dear Lord.  Amen.